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Shirley Collins and the dangers in those 60s coffee bars
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David leaves this world
It is hard not to mark the passing of such an important musician as Mr Bowie so here is a quote from our book ‘Over, Under Sideways, Down’ where Bob Solly recalls getting a new band member: In the early Sixties I was asked to go professional by a band called Band Seven, a seven-piece…
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Norman Beaker chucks in a few names he played with
there was a time in Britain when playing with the greatest musical legends was undoubtedly the best way to improve as a musician. Norman Beaker cut his teeth as a Blues guitarist by backing many of the American stars when they came over here and toured and they did not come any bigger than Mr…
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the first time the Blues toured Britain
some of the season’s break has been spent transcribing the Chris Barber interview from earlier in 2015 and it is proving absolutely scintillating. He covers so many periods in the development of British music, the early years of collecting old jazz 78s, Alexis Korner, Muddy Waters, the Marquee Club, the Rolling Stones, Trad. He was there…
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naming your band after the view
after making his name with the Graham Bond Organisation and finding himself without a band he could play for Jon Hiseman looked out over the holiday view and gave his band the name Colosseum https://youtu.be/QODlRgzH2oI
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Victor Brox was jamming with Jimi and Janis
Victor Brox has been a musician for all his life starting in those Sixties blues bands backing the American blues legends as they came to Britain. Later with the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation he toured and toured the world and at times jammed with young musicians the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
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when Rock ‘n’ Roll first hit Dundee
as a young apprentice piano tuner in Dundee, Alex went and saw Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran at his local hop, but when the fists started flying he found himself locked in their dressing room. https://youtu.be/2yKtYQ3l8Nc
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living in the recording studio
Starting as a tea boy and working your way up to engineering lots of stars at the hot Morgan Studios. Macca, Tull, Ozzie, Rod the Mod, it all seemed quite normal at the time in Willesden, North London in the Seventies https://youtu.be/4BP5jz74a_0
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Judy Dyble traces the route from Americana to British folk-rock royalty
Starting as a musician on part of the local scene and gradually the group got formed of amazingly good local musicians. Judy Dyble was their singer and she played the autoharp, they became known after the house they rehearsed in and they called themselves the Fairport Convention.
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Bridget enjoys the saintly world of John Peel
Bridget St. John made a rapid transition from University to singer/songwriter thanks in part to the help of the hugely influential British DJ John Peel and his label Dandelion Records who released her three albums and took her on shows around the country – often along with a young duo called Tyrannosaurus Rex run by a young singer by…
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It’s touring time
This week’s interview was with Richard Ames who worked as the long suffering Tour Manager to many famous musicians. This is the person who got summoned by the hotel manager at three in the morning to complain that the band was still partying loudly, and in the morning was presented with the invoice for the all damage. A life of…
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Top record producer talks music
A great interview today with one of the UK’s exceptional record producers. From the Beatle ‘White’ album through a fabulous c.v. that includes Roxy Music, Pulp, The Pretenders and nevermind those Sex Pistols. Actually we were filming Chris for our forthcoming Pistols programme due next year for the 40th anniversary of their first single. But we…